Updated May 20, 2025 at 4:18 PM EDT
The Trump administration is facing legal challenges to two of its signature policy priorities: tariffs and immigration. On Wednesday, a dozen states sued the administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade, calling its tariff policy unlawful and economically disruptive.
Separately, on April 16, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said there is probable cause to hold the administration in contempt for continuing deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, in violation of a court order.
Republican strategist Alex Conant — who previously worked on Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign — told Morning Edition that if the president doesn't follow court rulings, it could lead to serious political problems.
"Well, I think if the courts, especially the Supreme Court, rules that the president can't do something, he really does need to abide by that or face serious political backlash from Republicans, including Republicans in Congress," Conant said.
Most Americans say the administration needs to obey federal court rulings, according to a recent Pew survey.
Conant spoke with NPR's host Michel Martin about how challenges to the administration are playing politically.
Here are the main takeaways from the conversation:
On public opposition to tariffs:
"If Americans are going to [pay for tariffs], they have to have a clear understanding of why," Conant said. "The reasons for the tariffs that we've heard from the White House are very varied. We've heard it's for deficit reduction. We've heard it's to bring manufacturing jobs back. We've heard it's to put leverage on other countries. All these things cannot be true at the same time."
On the political value of Trump's economic policy:
"We've seen his poll numbers start to dip on the economy. Throughout his political career, his standing on the economy has been his bedrock," Conant said. "If we see that begin to erode, he's in real political danger."
On immigration and political advantage:
"The administration feels like they're on much stronger ground politically here," Conant said, noting that Republicans and independents largely support Trump's immigration policy, unlike tariffs. "This is clearly the issue that they want to be talking about."
On higher education:
"There's a lot of unease, including amongst Republicans with the federal government trying to put private institutions into some sort of federal receivership, dictating how private institutions should act, what they should teach," Conant said. "We won't always have a Republican president, and I don't think we want Democrats doing the same thing in the future."
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